Ruby is a dog like no other. Saved by a rescue group from New York City, she was adopted by Ronene Ando of Lakeview.
“I never owned a ‘bully breed’ and was somewhat concerned about my adoption of her. I was always a ‘dog owner’ and then along came this amazing, loving, smart, funny little Ruby. Wow! I was in love. I used to laugh at others who talked to their pets like they were their kids. I find myself embarrassed now at the way I communicate with her,” said Ando.
Ruby, now 2 years old, is a certified therapy dog, agility trained, and has her CGC certification. She also participates in doggy day care and barn hunt classes. While she’s always been a smart dog, what she did last week for her family was simply amazing.
“Tears come to my eyes at this very moment knowing that on Jan 19, 2018 this beauty of a dog may have very well saved our lives,” said Ando.
At 1 a.m. Thursday, Ruby started barking. Ando says the only time Ruby barks is if someone is at the door.
“If she needs to go outside to use the facilities she doesn’t bark, she just has a bell that she rings,” explained Ando. “We live rather remotely on a dead-end street and have no traffic going by at any time.”
So after she continued to bark for approximately half an hour, Ando brought her downstairs and took her to the door to show her that there was no one outside.
“I took her back upstairs to bed and she came back down barking again. I called her back upstairs and she came back up and continued to bark until finally I went downstairs again. She beat me down the stairs and opened the gate to the family room which leads to the garage.”
And that is when Ando realized what was going on.
“That is where the propane heater was. We previously had our pipes freeze and burst in the garage which is why we put that heater in there. At some point the flame on the heater went out, however, the propane continued to expel the gas. Once I opened that door I realized what had happened.”
Ruby saved Ando and her boyfriend’s life.
“There is no doubt in my mind this girl, after barking for two hours in the middle of the night, may have saved our lives,” said Ando.
Ruby has now become quite the celebrity for her heroics (as well she should be). She’s been asked to appear on many national television shows like FOX News and Rachel Ray.
Way to go, Ruby!
